Asphalt "Greta" Subtle Build

[Brayden_23]

Track Day 25May2018


Track Day 27Jul2017


(15-Oct-2016)
(Headlights, foglights, ducktail)


(13-Jul-2016)
(Wheels and tires)


Figured I should get a build thread started as now that I have graduated college and have a full-time job, most of my extra money will be going towards my car (a very wise investment choice, I know..)

I have owned quite a few cars in the few short years I've had my license ('89 Toyota Corolla Coupe, '08 Kia Rio5, '01 GTI, '05 Hyundai Accent). Some of them I had by choice (Corolla and GTI) and the rest I had due to necessity (Corolla and GTI falling apart). When I graduated I figured it would be a nice present to myself to finally own a decent car that wouldn't break down within a year of ownership. I had been looking at the 86 platform for 2 years prior to purchase, and was beyond ecstatic when I went in to pick her up.

I had a list of modifications I wanted to do before even owning, but didn't realize the mod bug would hit me this hard. I don't want to say I dream about the mods I want to do to this car, but I have dreams about what I want to mod

I picked her up on 8/1/15 and didn't even make it a week before putting my hands on her.

I purchased smoked side markers and an Injen Ram Air Intake and had those promptly installed.

One of the side markers was faulty, and I had an awful time with the company that provided them to get a replacement. Ended up saying screw it, and bought the JDM clear side markers.

The intake was a pretty easy install, and is officially the first time I have installed something on a car. Felt pretty proud of myself! It makes the engine sound like it has more grunt when you put heavy load on it down low which I really like. I also love how much it cleaned up the engine bay! Instead of using the plug from the glove box 12v power socket, I went to Lowes and purchased a really cheap vinyl plug.

Next to come was the lighting. I feel LED lights really update the look of the car, and was shocked that a 2015 car wouldn't come standard with them. So I replaced the interior overhead, trunk, license plate, rear turns and side markers with LEDs.
I had an excellent time dealing with Diode Dynamics for all of these! I really wanted their switchbacks, but they were out of stock from DD for a long time. I didn't want to risk receiving a faulty pair from any of the other suppliers, and so I waited it out until DD finished updating their new design. The flasher relay for the LED turns was an easy install, and I was able to salvage the clip from the original so I could mount my new relay in the factory position.


I also went ahead and grabbed some Grimmspeed hood struts to make working in the engine bay a little easier in the future. They were relatively cheap and a pretty easy install. I found out later that you can actually change the location of the stock support to hold the hood more vertical, but I still love the look of these and again, make the car seem a little more upscale.

I took a break for awhile as it was Christmas time and I also went on a trip to Thailand. Below is a list of mods I will be doing as money permits. My whole idea for this build is to not put anything totally extreme on it; I want the car to almost look like it's stock until you look closer and realize the little details. I am also loving this car, and have a hunch future generations will view it the same way we look at Datsuns, but that's just a hunch. If I'm able to make it work, my goal is to own this thing for many years to come. Being that I've never really worked on cars before, I feel this is a great platform to learn and will be doing as much as I can and learning from YouTube and DIYs. My thoughts are also to make the modifications in phases, so that I can upgrade an area all at once, and not have to take parts on and off just to get to other areas. My goals for this build are to make a fun little DD, that is an enhanced version of itself to tackle spirited back-road driving as well as the occasional track day.

Phase 1:
JDL Catted UEL Header [installed]

Perrin OP [installed]
Perrin 2.5" Resonated CBE [installed]

Motul 300 Transmission and Diff Fluid [installed]
MTec Shift springs [installed]
Transmission mount bushing - Purchased, but not brave enough to tackle this on my own yet
Rear shifter bushing [installed]

Phase 2:
GT86/Monogram/10 Series HID Headlights [installed]
6K HIDs from DD - waiting for now....
USDM Foglights [installed] (added yellow XML2 bulbs from Diode Dynamics)

Phase 3:
Rays 57Xtreme Gramlights in Sunlight Silver 18x8.5 (5x100 +45)[installed]
Michelin Pilot Super Sports 235/40 [installed]

RCE Tarmac2 + Camber plates [installed]
SPL Rear LCA [installed]
Whiteline Front Endlinks [installed]
Radium MCB [installed]
Project Mu NS400 brake pads [installed]
Project Mu Brake fluid [installed]

Phase 4:
Brainiac 10.1" HU - Unfortunately Brainiac canceled their plans for this..
Frameless Rearview Autodimming Mirror [installed]
OEM Armrest [installed]
Intec High mount 3rd brake light [installed]


Phase 5:
Jackson Racing Dual Radiator and Oil Cooler
Block8head + Innovate oil pressure/temp & AFR/boost gauge
Velox front splitter with Race upgrade
Velox non-aggressive rear diffuser
Trackspec hood louvers

Phase 6:
PTuning V2 with GT2871R turbo
Radium dual catch can
OEM+ Audio Reference 450Q
Pioneer HU with iDataLink Maestro

[shiumai]

How about...
Phase 1: Edelbrock supercharger
then it'd really be a 'subtle' build on the outside.

[Brayden_23]

Originally Posted by shiumai

How about...
Phase 1: Edelbrock supercharger
then it'd really be a 'subtle' build on the outside.

Ha wouldn't that be a hoot

But there is a reason it's so far down on the list, well a few actually.
1) I don't mind the current power. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but personally I feel like the car comes stock with a decent power to weight ratio. I don't believe numbers are everything.
2)Throwing in more power doesn't just automatically make me a better driver. I'm taking my time to get a feel for the car, then making incremental improvements as my skills increase as well.
3) The power is currently plenty for my DD and spirited driving. As I get more and more into tracking I'm sure the extra power will help, but I don't want to have to rely on it.

[weederr33]

Originally Posted by shiumai

How about...
Phase 1: Edelbrock supercharger
then it'd really be a 'subtle' build on the outside.

That's how I started mine out. Stock everything except for my supercharger and exhaust.

[Brayden_23]

Originally Posted by weederr33

That's how I started mine out. Stock everything except for my supercharger and exhaust.

If I was happy with everything else and had a chunk of change sitting around that would allow me to do so, I probably would. I'm just trying to be as smart as I can be with the money I have.

I'm starting with exhaust because it's relatively cheap and once its setup, I won't have to fiddle with it after that. Then the lights need to be upgraded because I do a lot of night driving and down some of these dark backroads the halogen projectors just aren't cutting it at all. There's no way I would think about adding boost without upgrading the tires, since it seems the stock power is already easily able to break grip. My interior mods (phase 4) are more like mods to be done while I'm waiting for enough money to build up to perform the mods.

I'm not sponsored, I'm not very old, and I have student loans plus car payments to make. Would rather incrementally build this car up and be able to pay off debt more quickly than shill out all this money in a short period of time.

Side note: I'm pretty ecstatic about you guys commenting! I have lurked around both of your build threads previously and gained a lot of inspiration for the things you both have done!

[weederr33]

Originally Posted by Brayden_23

If I was happy with everything else and had a chunk of change sitting around that would allow me to do so, I probably would. I'm just trying to be as smart as I can be with the money I have.

I'm starting with exhaust because it's relatively cheap and once its setup, I won't have to fiddle with it after that. Then the lights need to be upgraded because I do a lot of night driving and down some of these dark backroads the halogen projectors just aren't cutting it at all. There's no way I would think about adding boost without upgrading the tires, since it seems the stock power is already easily able to break grip. My interior mods (phase 4) are more like mods to be done while I'm waiting for enough money to build up to perform the mods.

I'm not sponsored, I'm not very old, and I have student loans plus car payments to make. Would rather incrementally build this car up and be able to pay off debt more quickly than shill out all this money in a short period of time.

Side note: I'm pretty ecstatic about you guys commenting! I have lurked around both of your build threads previously and gained a lot of inspiration for the things you both have done!

Taking your time is a good idea. Especially if you have student loans. I have some to pay as well every month, but it's manageable for the most part.
Tires did come last for me haha. So driving on stock tires with the increase in torque was quite exhilarating at certain times.

[Brayden_23]

Everything in Phase 1 has been ordered besides the short shifter! I wanted to feel how the transmission is with the new bushings/fluid/springs before going the short shift route. I will be installing the bushings and springs when I change the fluid, which will be happening when I take out the stock exhaust. CBE is slated to arrive in 2 days, OP in 4, and I believe the header has about a 4 week lead time as it is made to order and I also opted for the titanium thermal coating. I will be installing the exhaust this weekend but will wait to put the OP on until the header comes in so I don't have to waste a gasket.

I also installed the Intec high mount third brake light this weekend and love how much it opens up the back window. The install was fairly easy. I went a different route for mounting; I slid the piece that attaches to the pop clip under the headliner to cover it up. This didn't allow the headliner to lay flat, so I trimmed a small amount around the piece from the brake light. It makes it look that much cleaner and I am all about the OEM look.

Since I ordered my shift springs and bushings from FT86SpeedFactory, I buckled and went ahead and ordered the OEM armrest from them as well. That will also end up being installed this next weekend.

Love that I can now afford to put the parts on this car that I have wanted from the get-go. I will write reviews of how the exhaust sounds and get sound clips once I have it in the final setup as I had a difficult time finding any clips of JDL catted UEL with Perrin OP and 2.5" resonated CBE. Hopefully it has minimal rasp and drone, as well as the deep Subaru burble that I am hoping for.

[Brayden_23]

I went ahead and installed the CBE last night. It was a fairly easy job; it took me awhile because I also tried to install all the bushings and I swapped out tranny and diff fluid. Decided to hold off on the Whiteline positive shift bushing as I need something to support the transmission while the brace is off and I don't trust my $50 Wal-Mart jack that couldn't even lift the car off the ground. Fluid swap was simple and has led to no more clunk, but instead the shifter seems to click into position. Tons of grime all over the magnetic plugs. I had a good time installing the exhaust and when it first fired up - pure sex. It has the kind of rumble that shakes you to your core all the while without being in your face loud. Driving it around, the exhaust note does get lost a bit above 3500 rpm, so hopefully when I install the header and overpipe, the exhaust noises will increase at the higher rpm levels.

[Brayden_23]

Been awhile, so I figured it was time for an update! I have since installed the JDL catted UEL header as well as the Perrin OP. Love the rumble, and the note seems to level out the higher you rev it, which I personally enjoy. I think if I were to go back, I would have just ordered the catless. I thought keeping the cat would prevent the CEL but I threw one instantly anyway..Was trying to avoid this for the sake of emissions testing, but didn't realize in Washington you don't have to have emissions testing if your car is newer than 2008...
The design of the header is terrific and looks beautiful in the titanium thermal coating. The welds look great too, and overall I am so satisfied with this hunk of metal.
The OP was a b**** to install just because getting the stock one out was tricky. I had heard you could install this without lifting the engine which I definitely wanted to avoid, so I accepted this would take a little longer.

I thought I was going to call it good with the exhaust for now, but part of me still wants it to be just a tad louder. Might end up going for a front pipe since I have left that stock for now, and get something without a cat. I didn't intend to change this as I had read the stock FP is fairly decent and has a nice diameter, but if I can find one for the right price, I might have to pull the trigger on it. Most likely will wait until a few of the bigger things are done such as wheels, suspension, and headlights. Currently the car has a great rumble when RPM is <3500, and is loud when you are open it up. I haven't really had the chance to hear it from the outside, but in the cabin when I get on it, it just isn't as loud as I want it to be
I was also finally able to install the shift springs; took awhile to find a big enough socket for the detent on the passenger side, and I took forever to reinstall it as I was terrified of cross threading. Once I got it in, what a difference! On top of that, I bought a Raceseng reverse lockout and the Raceseng Slammer knob to try and combat how hard it is to shift when the tranny is cold. I am fairly happy with the way things are feeling now, hence why I decided that I don't want to go for the short shifter kit; at least not yet.
For another small mod, I put in an autodimming frameless mirror from FT86SF and this is by far one of my most appreciated mods. Makes a world of a difference when driving around at night. I am no longer blinded by douchers in their giant pickups and it looks great too!

My next planned mod is for wheels and tires. I am trying really hard to avoid buying anything else right now so I can finally save up for these as it will run me about $2500 when it's all said and done. But I just can't stand the look of the stock wheels any longer so I need to make this happen.

I also recently made the decision to go with the Winjet headlights instead of going with the OEM 86 headlights. I realized the money and hassle of repinning wasn't going to really be worth it at the end of the day. Sure the LED DRL may not be as high of quality and they may leak in the future, but then I can use that as an opportunity to open them up and modify the insides --> looking at a proper retrofit for HID as well as possibly adding in a halo.

Still loving the crap out of this car and just wish I could mod it quicker! Really trying my best to put on quality parts the first time though so I don't have to deal with the cost of poor quality.

"Budget to mod, don't mod on a budget"

[Brayden_23]

So I was researching where to buy my wheels from, as I was solidly set on getting Gram Lights 57Xtreme in sunlight silver. I knew I wanted to get the ones with face-2 (medium concave), and wasn't too concerned about the offset. I knew I also wanted to have the 18x8.5 with 5x100 lug pattern as I didn't want to run adapters.

After calling and emailing multiple shops, I was able to get ahold of DSG who was able to place an order for me in the +42 offset to get the concave face. All of the other offsets come with face-1 which is flat, and I didn't want to run 9.5" wheels as I feel that is too big for this car. Tried working with Evasive Motorsports for these but they told me this size and color was a "special production run" and they would not be able to get them for me. I wasn't sure if I was ready to order these quite yet, but after seeing how hard it was to find them, on top of hearing the lead time was about 8 weeks, I figured I would pull the trigger.

I am beyond excited to get these wheels on! Once they arrive I will be sure to update this thread with pictures! I will be wrapping the wheels in 235/40 MPSS and can't wait to see how much this transforms the look and feel of the car.

[Brayden_23]

Got some bad/good news on Monday from DSG. Turns out the 18x8.5 +42 offset was discontinued, but their distributor had a +45 set in stock! Looks like I will be getting these wheels a lot sooner than I was expecting, and have been told they should be arriving by the end of the week, though I still haven't received tracking information and its almost the end of the day on Wednesday...

I'm not too upset about the offset difference as I don't feel 3mm will be all that noticeable, and wasn't going for a super flush fitment anyway. I really just wanted slightly wider wheels that were lightweight and had an aggressive look. It helps that they are pushed out a bit more towards the fender, so either way this is an improvement.

The part that is most unfortunate is which face the wheels are coming with. I sent some pictures to Jason at DSG to confirm that the +45 offset still had the face I was looking for. Jason informed me that you can't get an 8.5" wheel with the face I was looking for, and that it only comes on the 9.5" or bigger. This is bad news to me, as I feel the concave face really made these wheels look aggressive. I considered going up to a 9.5" wheel, but I want to have a square setup and was advised against running 9.5" in the front for fitment reasons.

Long story short, 18x8.5 +45 57Xtremes should be at my house within a week. For that, I can't complain as the stocks just really aren't my taste. I will see what I think about the less concave face in person before making any final judgments. Worst case scenario, I figure I can always switch wheels if I really am unhappy with them, but I don't anticipate that happening.

[Brayden_23]

They've arrived!! Took me awhile to get everything installed due to a few hiccups with Les Schwab, but all that matters is they eventually got here and they are on the car! I postponed the install for a little bit because I went to an 86 meet that had a track session as well as a gymkhana track setup for us so I wanted to just hoon hard on my stockers before tossing them for the new ones. (Thanks again to 86 Sessions, Toyota of Olympia, and The Ridge Motorsports Park!!!)

I love the way they look! I was afraid they wouldn't look aggressive enough, but I realized that they are the perfect blend between aggressive and subtle that matches my build very well!

Before people ask too many questions: 18x8.5 Rays Gram Lights 57Xtreme in Sunlight Silver, 5x100 lug pattern, +45 offset, Michelin Pilot Super Sports 235/40, Black Muteki SR35 closed-end locking lugs.

On to the pictures! I am hoping this can be used as a guide for anyone who is considering this same setup, as finding pictures of this setup was difficult for me; most people are running either 9.5" or staggered.

Right after they were installed at Les Schwab! (The numbers on the car are from the track day):



Tried snagging a picture from behind to show how much more rubber there is than stock. Feel like 235 is a good amount for this car:




Fitment of the rear wheel:




Showing how close the tire (MPSS 235) width lines up with the edge of the 8.5" wide wheel:



Side Profile:




View of front wheel from the front:




Front wheel from behind:



Overall:



Before & After:

[pimpfighterroq]

nice build bro. Just want to ask, do you having any issues with rubbing with your wheel and tire set up on stock suspension? I plan on getting gram lights like yours but matt graphite with same wheel and tire specs. I don't want to mess with any coilovers for now.

[Brayden_23]

Originally Posted by pimpfighterroq

nice build bro. Just want to ask, do you having any issues with rubbing with your wheel and tire set up on stock suspension? I plan on getting gram lights like yours but matt graphite with same wheel and tire specs. I don't want to mess with any coilovers for now.

Thank you!

No issues with rubbing. I have stock suspension setup and there is plenty of clearance all around.